TRAVEL HEALTH CARE

Drinking and Eating Safely:

By drinking and eating safely during travel, one can avoid serious diseases like Traveller's diarrhoea, Cholera, Typhoid and Hepatitis A.

The following are the simple guidelines:

• Always wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before eating. Brush your teeth with bottled water. Keep your mouth closed in the shower.
• Assume all water is contaminated. Either boil the water for at least 10 minutes if practical or use Iodine drops available from Travel Health Care to sterilise the water.
• Drink bottled water, canned drinks or hot drinks such as coffee or tea.
• Refuse ice in drinks, as it may have been made from contaminated water.
• Avoid salads as these are often washed with contaminated water.
• Food should be thoroughly cooked and eaten hot. Avoid foods which have been pre- cooked and reheated, as well as cold meat, raw seafood and shellfish, such as oysters, crabs, prawns and lobster. Never eat uncooked seafood.
• Milk and other dairy products should be avoided unless you can be sure they have been pasteurised and stored properly. Eat only fruit which you peel or cut. Do not eat fruit which have been peel or cut by others.
• Water can be made safe either by boiling for at least 10 minutes or use 2% iodine drops to sterilise for 30 minutes.

Jet Lag:

Jet lag is a features of flying long distances east-west or west-east through several time zones causing the travellers routine daily rhythm of activity and sleep to get out of phase. The main symptoms are exhaustion,disorientation, poor concentration, insomnia, loss of appetite, weakness, headache and dizziness.

Some factors will affect the jet-lag. Noise of the aircraft, sitting still for prolonged period, lack of sleep during the trip, overeating and excessive alcohol during the flight.

• During the flight, the followings can be done:
• Avoid alcohol and coffee. Drink plenty of non-alcoholic drinks especially water.
• Eat only when hungry. It do no harm to skip a meal.
• Wear loose ,comfortable clothes and shoes.
• Try to sleep on longer section of the flight. Close the blinds and wear special eye masks.
• Try to take regular walks around the aircraft and exercise at stops. Keep your feet up when resting.